Fifty-four percent of both groups say that they just gradually drifted away from Catholicism. Both groups also had almost equal numbers (82 percent evangelicals, 80 percent mainline) saying they joined their new church because they enjoyed the worship service. But compared to those who became mainline Protestants, a higher percentage of those becoming evangelicals said they left because their spiritual needs were not being met (78 percent versus 57 percent) and that they had stopped believing in Catholic teaching (62 percent versus 20 percent). They also cited the church’s teaching on the Bible (55 percent versus 16 percent) more frequently as a reason for leaving. Forty-six percent of these new evangelicals felt the Catholic church did not view the Bible literally enough. Thus, for those leaving to become evangelicals, spiritual sustenance, worship services and the Bible were key...

Looking at the responses of those who join mainline churches also provides some surprising results. For example, few (20 percent) say they left because they stopped believing in Catholic teachings. However, when specific issues were mentioned in the questionnaire, more of those joining mainline churches agreed that these issues influenced their decision to leave the Catholic church. Thirty-one percent cited unhappiness with the church’s teaching on abortion and homosexuality, women, and divorce and remarriage, and 26 percent mentioned birth control as a reason for leaving. Although these numbers are higher than for Catholics who become evangelicals, they are still dwarfed by the number (57 percent) who said their spiritual needs were not met in the Catholic church.

Thus, those becoming evangelicals were more generically unhappy than specifically unhappy with church teaching, while those who became mainline Protestant tended to be more specifically unhappy than generically unhappy with church teaching.

Really dude? You need to study it?

Let us save you the time. The people who left are ignorant of Church teaching that Catholic 'worship service' brings them the spiritual gifts contained in Jesus Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity when they receive Him with a soul free of sin.

Guess whose fault that is.

Phil Lawler does a masterful job pointing out that the Jesuits suffer from the same affliction:

" In the US, the Society of Jesus went from 8,400 members in 1965 to 2,650 last year. The decline continues with no end in sight. Yet the American Jesuits have not only refused to study the problem of catastrophic decline themselves, they have gone out of their way to knee-cap scholars whose explanations were unflattering."

Without Sanctifying Grace, you are clueless about what is going on around you. Blinded. Unable to receive the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit. You are running on your own juice and the nutrients in it are insufficient to keep your mind sharp and your soul nourished.

The Bible is filled with stories about what happens to us under these circumstances. God does not give pearls to swine. We are driven. We can end up wandering on our own like the prodigal son or if it gets bad enough, the absence of Sanctifying Grace can choke off a whole community. We can wind up wandering in the desert for 40 years or the wages of sin can turn the place into a wasteland.

This is why there is a movement afoot to get Catholics away from spiritually disordered priests. They will poison your well, starve your family to death. The time has come to let them wither. Find a priest who will teach and preach the Catholic religion. Make your way to Sanctifying Grace. Don't let anyone or anything stop you. The Ark is boarding.

Carol, if the Ark is indeed boarding, then many priests (if not most of the bishops) will be left outside to drown!

Consider the possibility that the trends Fr. Reese cites mean that God is scourging this Church, which sacrificed its Petrine calling for power, image, prestige and secular influence centuries ago. Consider, also, that the Catholic Church is not the only one being scourged. Mainline (aka liberal) Protestant denominations have been declining precipitously for about 30, 40 years, now (IOW, after adopting political correctness and intellectual fashion as their default position).

I don't know about the Eastern Orthodox.

This situation isn't new and is older than Christianity. Read Ezekiel 34 and 1 Samuel 2: 12-35. The false shepherds, regardless of where they worship, will be fleceed themselves!